Carding machine attachment for controlling the web weight



Aug. 26, 1947. A. P. LEwls Er A1.

-cARDIuG lucana; uncmmm Fon coN'rRoLLING 'um WEB WEIGHT Filed July 20, 1945 5 She'ets-Sheet l INVENroRs 4f? NMA A* fw/J' BY ../af//v c. MAM/.ffy l dbx: 2. Away TMRNEY Aug. 26, 1947.A A. P. LEwls Er AL 2,426,312

CARDIN@ CHINE TTACHH'ENT FOR CONTROLLING THB WEB WEIGHT Filed July 20, 1945 3 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTORS BY E! Aug'. 26, 1947. A. P. LEwls Er Al. 2,426,312

' CARDIN@ CHINE ATTACHIENT FOR CONTROLLING THB WEB WEIGHT und July 2o, 1945 :s shuts-shut s arc/.4 mmf? wa Anwar/5R *JLA g.

ATI'RNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1947 CARDING MACHENE ATTACHMENT FORl i CONTR'QLLNG THE WEB WEIGHT Arthur P. Lewis and John C. Manley, Fairhaven, Mass., assignors to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 20, 1945, Serial No. 606,054

l@ Claims. l

This invention relates to mechanism adapted to be located at the delivery end of a carding machine and operated to control the weight of the carded web to thereby produce a more uniform sliver. i

In the Lewis Patent No. 2,361,217 for apparatus for producing highly uniform sliver, there is disclosed and claimed mechanism for scanning by means of a light a sliver as it passes between successive pairs of drafting rolls. The scanning means serves to control mechanism for increasing and decreasing the speed of one pair of rolls relative to other rolls in accordance with the de-e tected variations in the thickness of the silver to thereby produce a more uniform yarn.

The present invention contemplates mechanism adapted to act upon a carded web as it ieaves the carding machine to remove different small amounts of fibers from the weh to thereby correct variations in the web weight and produce more Uniform web and sliver. The scanning mechanism disclosed in the above mentioned pat" ent works weli where the mass ci @here to he scanned is thin enough to permit a suhstantiai amount of light to pass therethrough, hut is not well adapted for use to scan a the.; of

stile manufacturers are aware the :tact goed carding i5 the essence and foundation or good and that no matter het etuily a lap is prepared ,or the carding is operated, the resulting carded weh will val] sc-ine what weight unit length. The n st pro nounced variations 'usually' occur in caring waves or cycles. "lt is the object of ajeserit invention. to eliminate these rea and thereby produce a more or sliver than has been possible hc To accomplish this it is .propose carding machine so that it wili web that is somewhat overweight, and when this web is ready to leave the doier cyli ir trim correct variations in the web weight. for removing the fibers is placed in and under the control oi, avsensitive e ce of device adapted to detect variation in the web' scanning mechanism, it ls desirable to use some other type of scanning means. Experimental Work done by others indicates that high frequency air waves or supersonic waves may be employed. satisfactorily to scan a relatively thick mass or web of bers.

Having in mind the foregoing the primary feature of the present invention resides in means located adjacent to the doffer cylinder of a carding machine and operable to remove varying small amounts of fibers from the carded web to thereby control the weight of the web that remains, and in means located along the path of travel of the web that has left the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in the web weight and also to vary the operation of the fiber removing means so as to produce a web of uniform weight per unit length.

A more specic `feature of the, present invention resides in an auxiliary doler comb located near one end of the doier cylinder and adapted to he moved a short distance length wise or" the cylinder so as to trim more or less fibers from the carded web. The movement of this auxiliary doer comb is controlled by scanning mecham nism which is positioned to scan the trimmed web, and the fibers removed by this comb may be returned to the lap forming mechanism.

The scanning mechanism may consist of one or more wave transmitters disposed at 'one side of the plane of the advancing web and a corresponding number ci receivers disposed at the other side of the plane of the web similar to the disposition of the light source and photo-electric cell disclosed in the above mentioned Lewis pat ent. A more simple form however resides in a transmitter disposed adjacent one edge of the traveling web and a receiver disposed adjacent the other edge of the web sc that the high ire duency air waves that scan the web will travel parallel to the plane of the web and edgewise therethrough.

The above and other features of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description when read in connec tion with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View showing the discharge end portion of a carding machine, the side frame of the machine near the observer being removed.

Fig. 2 is a sectional Veiw taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. i

Fig 3 is an enlarged view of the auxiliary doffer comb and associate parts as seen from the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 2.

The apparatus contemplated by the present invention for producing a carded web of highly uniform weight per unit length is designed to be applied to the ordinary commercial carding machine now in general use, and may be readily applied thereto without modifying the operation of the carding machine up to the point where the carded web is ready to be removed from the doer cylinder. At this point it is proposed to trim or otherwise remove a small portion of the web depending upon the amount the web is overweight, so that after the web is trimmed it will have the desired uniform weight per unit length.

Various means may be employed for trimming or removing a portion of the web as it is ready to leave the doifer cylinder and one good practical means to this end resides in a short auxiliary doifer comb disposed adjacent one end of the doifer cylinder, and positioned below the usual doifer comb that extends entirely across the face of the doffer cylinder to strip the web from the rotating cylinder. This auxiliary doffer comb is mounted for limited sliding movementy in the direction of its length so that when it is moved inwardly from one side of the machine it will trim a fiber strip from the web of a definite width, and as this auxiliary comb is moved in the opposite direction it will trim a narrower strip from the web, thereby controlling the weight of the portion of the web that remains. Another practical fiber trimming means resides in a traversing vacuum nozzle that may be substituted for the auxiliary doffer comb.

Since,` as above stated, the cardlng machine may for the most part bevof well known construction only so much of the carding machine has been shown in the drawings as appears to be necessary to make clear how the apparatus contemplated by the present invention is associated therewith! The carding machine shown has the usual side frames I which are connected by transversely extending beams as usual. These side frames serve rotatably to support the usual card cylinder I I mounted upon a central shaft. not shown, and this cylinder has a rigid cylindrical shell that is provided at each end with a supporting spider having the arms I2, and the outer surface of the cylinder II is covered with card clothing I3 as usual. This cylinder II rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow so as to carry downwardly towards the doffer cylinder I4 the carded neece I5 of fibers which have been acted upon by the usual overhead flats, not shown. The doffer cylinder I4 is considerably smaller than the card cylinder and likewise has a rigid cylindrical shell which is supported by spiders provided at each end thereof and having the arms I6, and this cylinder Il is supported and rotated by the central shaft il. 'I'he surface of the cylinder Il like that of the cylinder II is covered with card clothing I8 but the wires forming this card clothing are usually somewhat ner and more closely set than the wires forming the card clothing I3.

The surface speed of the card cylinder II is much faster than that of the differ cylinder Il,

4 and Ithe direction of rotation of both cylinders is such, that as will be apparent from the arrows,` the fleece I5 is carried downwardly by the rotation of the cylinder I I into contact with the slower rotating card clothing of the cylinder I4. This serves to condense the fleece Ito form the web I9 and to transfer the fleece from the carding cylinder to the dolng cylinder as shown in Fig. 1.

. It is then carried downwardly about the lower side of the cylinder I4 and upwardly to the position where it is removed by the rapidly vibrating doffer comb 20 that constitutes a blade as long ask the cylinder Il. `This comb is vibrated rapidly close to the surface of the cylinder so as to strip the web I9 therefrom entirely across the cardi-ng machine as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The comb 20 which may be of usual construction works in a well known manner and is connected by the supporting arms 2l to the shaft 22. This shaft is journaled near its opposite ends in the bearings 23. Vibratory movement is imparted to the shaft 22 by mechanism housed within the comb box 2l and which receives operating power from the belt driven pulley 25.

As the web I9 leaves the surface of the cylinder I4 it passes over a fixed web supporting bar 26 and then to the usual trumpet 21 through which it is drawn by the nip of the calender rolls 28 and 29, and it issues from the nlp of these rolls in the form of a round fibrous mass or sliver 30 which passes to coiling mechanism and can. as usual. The calender' rolls 28 and 29 and associated parts are supported by the frame 3|.

The mechanism so far described by reference numerals is old and operates in a well known manner. The mechanism contemplated by the present invention to be associated with the ordinary carding machine so as to produce a more uniform web and sliver will now be described.

In carrying out the present invention it is contemplated that the carding machine will be operated to deliver a web which at all times will run somewhat overweight so that the desired weight of the web per unit length may be secured by continuously trimming from the advancing web just enough fibers to reduce the overweight web to the standard weight. This is accomplished in accordance with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings by providing a short auxiliary doffer comb 32 which is supported for Vibratory movement adjacent to the cylinder Il by the arms 33 and hollow sleeve 34. This sleeve is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement upon the Vibratory shaft 35 which extends into thecomb box 36 having the operating pulley 31. This box vbrates its shaft similar to that oi the box 24. The comb supporting sleeve 34 is keyed at 34x to the shaft 35 so that the Vibratory movement of the shaft 35 will be imparted to the comb 32 and this sleeve is slidably secured to the shaft 35 so that the comb 32 may vbe moved lengthwise of the surface of the cylinder Il to trim a web strip 33 of different widths from the web I9 before the latter reaches the main doiler comb 20. The web strip 38 passes downwardly into a hopper 39 and the lower end oi' this hopper is preferably connected with exhaust means to thereby exert a downward pull on the strip 33 to facilitate thetrimming of the same from the main web I9.

The means shown in the drawings for moving the auxiliary doffer comb 32 in the direction of its length so that it will trim a strip 33 of increased or decreased width from the web I9 comprises a reversing motor having reducing gears within the motor casing which are adapted to drive at a reduced'speed a shaft extending laterally from the motor casing and which carries a gear 4 I. The teeth of this gear engage rack teeth 42 formed in one face of the sleeve 34. The arrangement is such that when the motor 40 rotates in one direction the sleeve 34 and comb 32 will be retracted to decrease the width of the strip 38 trimmed from the web I9, and when this motor is rotated in the opposite direction the comb 32 will be moved inward along the face of the cylinder I4 to trim a wider strip 38y from the web I9.

After the web I9 has been trimmed by the auxiliary comb 32 it passes upwardly to be removed from the cylinder I4 by the comb 2D as shown. The present invention contemplates that this trimmed web I9 upon leaving the cylinder I4 will be automatically scanned to determine whether or not it is of proper weight, and the present invention also contemplates electrical means whereby the reversing motor 40 is under the control of this scanning mechanism, so that if the scanned web is running light the auxiliary comb 32 will be shifted in one direction to trim a narrower strip 38 from the web I9 and thereby increase the web weight, and if the scanned web is running heavy the comb 32 will be shifted in the opposite direction to trim off more fibers and reduce the web weight.

The scanning mechanism shown in the drawing comprises a wave transmitter 43 mounted adjacent one edge of the advancing web I9, and a wave receiver 44 mounted adjacent the opposite edge of this web. These Scanning elements 43, 44 are shown as supported by the brackets 45 mounted upon a transversely extending rail 46. The scanning device used preferably employes high frequency air waves or supersonic waves because of their ability to scan satisfactorily a thick mass of fibers so that the strength of the waves that reach the receiving element 44 will be inversely proportional to the weight of the web. The scanning waves sent out by the transmitter 43 travel approximately parallel to the plane of the web I 9, and in order to keep this web within the narrow` path traveled by the waves it is preferable to providerthe guide rods 4'I that prevent the bers of the web from spreading laterally within the range of the scanning mechanism.

One form of electrical means for placing the reversing motor 40 under the control of the web scanning elements 43 and 44 will now be described, but it will be understood that the electronic means to this end may be varied extensively. Referring more particularly to Fig. 5, the wave transmitter 43 is or may be a conventional crystal transmitter of the quartz or Rochell variety, and having high frequency currents supplied thereto from a conventional electronic oscillator and amplifier 48. They are converted by the crystal to corresponding high frequency air waves or vibrations. The Waves, in the construction shown as above stated, are directed against an edge of the traveling web I9 to penetrate therethrough and then impinge on a similar crystal receiver carried at 44. The resultant voltages generated in the crystal at 44 are transferred by shielded conductors to a conventional electronic amplifier 49 where they are reinforced or amplilied prior to being used in the control circuits rfor the reversing motor 4|).

Prior experiments show that when super sonic Waves of a constant frequency and strength are transmitted from the crystal at 43, the voltages 6 they generate in the crystal at 44 and its amplier 49 will be inversely proportional to the weight of the traveling web I9 being scanned. Hence, the outputy of the amplifier 49 is a usable signal or indicator of the weight of the scanned web.

In accordance with the present invention this weight signal is used as a means for controlling the direction of rotation and speed of the motor 40 to thereby control the amount of fibers removed from the web I9 by the auxiliary doifer comb 32.

The essential components of the control system illustrated in the drawing and their functions are as follows:

Tubes 50 and 5I are diode rectiers of conventional construction connected to the output of ampliiier 49 for the purpose of supplying a rectified signal to the grids of the tubes 52 and 53 respectively. It should be noted that the plate at 5U and the cathode at I5I are respectively connected to the output of the amplifier 49 so that a positive voltage above ground is obtained on resistor 54 and a negative voltage in respect to ground appears on resistor 55. These positive and negative voltages will always be equal and opposite and will vary simultaneously in proportion to the impressed signal voltage from the arnplier 49. The capacitors 55 and `5I serve the purpose of smoothing out the signal arriving at the grids of the tubes 52 and 53; i. e., removing some of the supersonic carrier component,

The tubes 52 and 53 are control tubes for supplying direct currents to the saturable core reactors, to lbe described, and which in turn control the alternating currents reaching the series type reversing motor 40 that controls the position of the side trimmer doffer 32.

Tubes 52 and 53 may be power amplifier tubes of either the triode or multig-rid. construction but for purposes of simplicity are shown as triodes with indirectly heated cathodes. It is desirable that the tubes selected should have definite plate current cut offv characteristics for some reasonable negative grid bias voltage.,

It should be particularly noted that the negative grid bias voltages for the tubes 52 4and 53 are obtained on the voltage divider resistor 58 at the points 59 and B0 respectively.

With no signal voltage present on resistors 545 and 55, tube 52 should be biased to Ytwice the plate current cutoff, while :53 should have a minimum bias to permit maximum plate current within the safe operating limits of the particular tubes selected.

Signal voltages appearing at resistors 54 and 55 (by adjustment of the output of amplifier' 49) should` be able, with a minimum absorption condition at the card web scanning point, to drive the grid of 52 in a positive direction to some predetermined maximum plate current, while 53 should be driven negatively past cut-oli by an amount approximately equal to the positive increase in 52. In other words at this instant, 52 is conducting and 53 is not.

Since the signal voltages on 54 and 55 are added algebr-aically to the bias voltages of the respective tubes 52 and 53, a 50% maximum signal strength on 54 and 55 would cause both tubes 52 and 53 to be non-conducting. This method of biasing these tubes is essential to the operation'of the saturable core reactors 6I and 52 as will be later explained. That is, the possibility of some simultaneous conduction in tubes '52 and 53 should be kept to a minimum by grid bias adjustment.

The saturable core reactors 6I and 62 may be constructed in several different ways, but the one indicated (for reasons of simplicity) is built up of conventional shell type transformer laminations. In this construction the outside legs 63, 64, 65 and 66 respectively carry the alternating currents and the inside coils or middle legs '6l and 68 are direct current coils. The alternating current coils should be connected series aiding.

To fully understand the function of the-reactors 6| and 62 it should be remembered that as the D. C. magnetization increases due to rising plate currents in the tubes 52 and 53, the alternating current impedances of the coils 33, 64, etc.,

decreases. By virtue of the mode or operation of the tubes l52 and 53 either one reactor or the other will be passing alternating currents through the motor 40 in proportion to its degree of D. C. magnetization. This then will determine the and' that sufcient amounts of fiber are removed from the web adjacent the doiler cylinder to bring the weight of the web down to the desired uniform weight per unit length. Y The means shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 for removing this small amount o! bers comprises an auxiliary doil'er comb which is adapted to be moved in and out relative to a marspeed of the series wound motor. The particular f reactor energized will determine the direction of rotation of this motor.

To trace the reactor circuit assume that reactor 6| and tube 5'2 are inactive, i. e., no plate current is flowing and that 61 is not energized. Hence, the A. C. impedance is maximum, and minimum alternating currents are flowing. Assume also that 53 is conducting and that 68 on reactor 62 is energized so that 62 may pass alternating currents. Then tracing from the 60 cycle supply at (l) the conducting path is consecutively through the motor field `|53, coil 65 on reactor 62, the motor armature 10 from left to right, then through coil 66 or 62 and back to the supply at (2).

With reactor 6| active and 62 blocking, the path is consecutively from the 60 cycle supply at (I) through the motor iield 69, coil 64 on reactor 6|, the motor armature 10 from right to left, then through coil 63 on reactor 6| and back to the A. C. supply at (2).

The plate power supplied to the tubes 52 and 53 and other parts shown is indicated at B+.

From the above it will be observed that the direction of rotation of the motor 40 will depend on which reactor 6| or 62 is active, and the motor speed will depend on the degree of D. C. saturation.

Adjustment of the output oi the amplier 49 determines the null or non-operating position of the reversing motor 4U, and its speed of response can be controlled by varying the plate current'of the tubes 52 and 53 or by suitable taps on the coils 6l and 68.

Instead of employing the auxiliary dofier comb 32 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 it may be desirable to employ a vacuum nozzle 1| having a long narrow suction slot 12. This suction nozzle 12 may be supported similarly to the comb 32 and is shown as secured to the sleeve 34 -by arms 33. This sleeve is slidably mounted upon and is keyed to a shaft 35 which unlike the shaft 35 does not have to be vibrated. The sleeve 34 may be shifted back and forth along thefixed shaft 35 by the gear 4| and motor 40 the same as above described. The slot l2 should be' about as long as the auxillary comb 32, so that the width of the liber strip 38 it removes from the web I9 will vary as this slot is moved lengthwise of the cylinder |4. To the lower end of the vacuum nozzle 1I is secured the large flexible tube 'I3 leading from suction producing means, not shown.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the carding machine operates as usual heretofore, except that it is suppliedv with a sufficiently heavy lap to produce a web that is slightly over-weight,

' ginal edge portion of the web so as to trim more or less fibers from an edge oi' the web, and the means shown in Fig. 6 is a movable vacuum nozzie. This web is then scanned with supersonic waves capable of detecting variation in. the density or weight of the traveling web and the scenning action of these waves is used t0 control the amount of ilbers trimmed fromgthe web to give the same the desired uniform weight.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a carding machine for producing a carded web `of iibers, mechanism for scanning a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in its weight, means adjacent the dofler cylinder of the carding machine for removing varying lamounts of fibers from the carded web, and means under the control of the scanning mechanism and operable in response to the variations it detects to vary the action of said removing means to thereby control the web weight.

2. In combination with a carding machine for y producing a carded web of fibers, mechanism for scanning a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in its weight, means adjacent the doiier cylinder of the carding machine for trimming lvarying amounts of iibers from an adge of the web,and means under the control of the scanning mechanism and operable in response to the variations it detects to vary the action of said trimming means to thereby control the web weight.

3. In combination with a carding machine having a doier cylinder and a doii'er comb for removing a carded web from said cylinder, mechanism for scanning the web as it travels from said cylinder and adapted to detect variations in its weight, an auxiliary doiier comb near one end 0i said cylinder and operable to trim varying amounts of fibers from an edge portion of said web, and means under the control of the scanning mechanism and operable in response to the variations it detects to shift said auxiliary comb and thereby control the web weight.

4. In combination with a carding machine for producing a carded web of fibers, mechanism for directing high frequency waves through a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in the web weight, means adjacent the doffer cylinder of the carding machine for removing varying amounts of fibers from the carded web, and means under the control of said mechanism for controlling the action of said ber removing means to thereby control the web weight.

5. In combination with a carding machine for producing a carded web of fibers, mechanism for directing supersonic waves transversely through a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in the web weight, means adjacent the doier cylinder of the carding machine for removing varying amounts oi tlbers from the carded web, and electroresponsive means under the control of said mechanism for controlling the action of the liber removing means to thereby control the web weight.

6. In combination with a carding machine having a doer cylinder and a doiIer comb for removing a carded web of fibers from said cylinder, mechanism for directing supersonic waves transversely through a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in the web weight. an auxiliary doifer comb operable to trim varying amounts of fibers from said web, and electro responsive means under the control of said mechanism and operable to shift the auxillary comb to thereby control the web weight.

7. In combination with a carding machine for producing a carded web of cotton iibers, mechanism for scanning a web transversely as it travels from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in the web Weight by passing high frequency air waves therethrough, means adjacent the doffer cylinder of the carding machine for removing varying amounts of iibers from the carded web, and electroresponsive means under the control of said mechanism for controlling the action o! said ber removing means to thereby control the web weight.

8. In lcombination with a carding machine for producing a carded web of ilber, mechanism for directing supersonic waves edgewise through a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in the web weight, means adjacent the doier cylinder of the carding machine for removing varying amounts of ii- ?bers from the carded web, and-means under the detecting variations in the weight ot the carded web leaving the carding machine, means adjacent the doer cylinder of the carding machine or removing varying amounts of fibers from the carded web, and means under the control of said mechanism for controlling the action of said flber removing means to thereby control the web weight.

10. In combination with a carding machine for producing a carded web of fibers, mechanism for scanning a web traveling from the carding machine and adapted to detect variations in its Weight, a vacuum nozzle adjacent the doer cylinder of the carding machine for removing varying amounts of fibers from the carded web, and

y means under the control of the scanning mechacontrol of said mechanism for controlling the action of the ber removing means to thereby control the webgweight.

9. In combination with a carding machine for producing a carded web o! iibers, mechanism for nism and operable in response to the variations it detects to vary the amount of i'lbers removed by the vacuum nozzle to thereby control the web weight.

ARTHUR P. LEWIS. JOHN C. MANLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile o'f this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

